On February 24, U.S. Ambassador John Giordano convened a high-level Counter Wildlife Trafficking Roundtable at the U.S. Embassy, bringing together Namibian conservation leaders and U.S. government officials to strengthen cooperation against transnational environmental crime.
Wildlife trafficking, including the illegal trade in rhino horn, elephant ivory, and pangolin scales is not solely a conservation issue – it is a transnational criminal enterprise that threatens security, undermines the rule of law, fuels corruption, weakens institutions, and distorts legitimate trade and investment.
“As a former United States Attorney, I have seen firsthand how criminal networks try to exploit gaps in enforcement and governance,” Ambassador Giordano said. “Wildlife trafficking operates like any other organized crime enterprise: it relies on logistics networks, money laundering channels, and cross-border coordination. It must be met with seriousness and prosecutorial focus.”
Since 2016, the United States has provided more than $8.7 million USD to support Namibia’s efforts to counter wildlife trafficking, including strengthening investigative capacity, supporting the Blue Rhino Task Team, enhancing forensic tools through the Wood Identification and Screening Center, and advancing specialized environmental crime courts. This partnership has yielded encouraging results with increases in high profile wildlife cases and convictions and decreases in poaching rates for elephant and rhino.
Ambassador Giordano emphasized that effective counter wildlife trafficking efforts depend on the rule of law, prosecutorial integrity, and regional cooperation.
“Environmental crime undermines economic security,” he noted. “Namibia’s conservation success story is a strategic asset, not just for biodiversity, but for tourism, investment, and long-term economic resilience.”
Participants discussed progress in arrests and convictions, regional coordination efforts, investigative capacity-building, and the intersection between wildlife trafficking and other transnational crimes, including narcotics and human trafficking.
The Ambassador underscored that environmental protection and economic development are not competing priorities.
“Where laws are enforced and criminals are prosecuted, legitimate business grows,” Ambassador Giordano said. “Where rule of law is credible, both conservation and capital can thrive.”
The United States remains committed to partnering with Namibia to strengthen international law enforcement cooperation, criminal justice institutions, enhance investigative tools, and disrupt transnational trafficking networks.